Are river cruises good for solo travellers?

by Sue Bryant

There are so many reasons a solo river cruise can be a wonderful holiday. It's the most relaxing way imaginable to discover beautiful landscapes and new towns and cities at your own pace. You’ll only unpack and pack once, letting your comfortable boutique ship transport you effortlessly from one destination to the next. You’ll be sailing in the company of like-minded people – and you have the choice of spending time enjoying your own company or making new friends.

Whether you’re embarking on a new journey after a significant life change or simply fancy getting to know some different places as a solo traveller, here are just a few of the reasons to try one of Saga’s all-inclusive river cruises.

You’ll be picked up at home – and brought back again

All of Saga’s river cruises come with a nationwide shared chauffeur service that will whisk you to the airport, or to the Eurostar terminal if you’re travelling by train. And when your cruise is over, a chauffeur will be waiting at the airport or station to take you home again. You’ll never have the worry of booking and waiting for a taxi. (A shared service means you could be sharing your transfer with up to five other Saga passengers, in which case you’ll be collected in a smart minivan or people carrier.)

You can fly from your local airport

On selected river cruise itineraries, you’ll have the option to fly from your local airport, as well as taking advantage of Saga’s shared chauffeur service. This is a real bonus for solo travellers; it keeps the journey short and convenient, and you won’t need to worry about a long journey with all your luggage to a bigger London airport. Flights from Heathrow, Gatwick, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow connect to Saga’s European river cruises.

If you’d prefer to avoid flying altogether, Saga has a programme of no-fly cruises, whisking you by Eurostar to itineraries on the Rhine, Moselle and Dutch waterways.

Relax in a comfortable cabin

Saga’s three custom-designed boutique river ships, Spirit of the Rhine, Spirit of the Danube and the new Spirit of the Moselle have 12 cabins apiece set aside for solo travellers. Choose between a lower deck cabin, which will have a window, or an upper deck room with a French balcony. This means you can slide back the glass doors, let the river breezes in and watch the scenery drift by.

These solo cabins are identical to the doubles, with facilities including a flat-screen TV, a Bluetooth speaker, tea and coffee-making facilities, a minibar, hairdryer, bathrobe and slippers. They do sell out fast, though, so it’s always a good idea to book as far in advance as possible.

Even if the solo cabins have sold out, Saga offers river cruises throughout the year with reduced single supplements, so keep an eye out for these.

Be as sociable as you like

River cruises are by nature sociable occasions. For a start, you’re travelling in a relatively small group of people; Saga’s three custom-built ships carry a maximum of 172 guests, while the smaller Douro Serenity takes just 114. River cruising is all about shared experiences and you’ll be exploring new destinations together on shore excursions. So you’ll have company during the day, if you’d like it, and plenty of stories to exchange with fellow guests in the evenings.

Solo travellers don’t have to dine alone – unless they want to, of course. There’s no assigned seating on a river cruise so it’s easy to join other travellers for meals. And every evening, there’s a table in the main dining room for solo travellers who fancy a bit of company and conversation.

Each of Saga’s three custom-built ships has a second restaurant in addition to the main dining room. So you could mix it up and book a table in this more intimate restaurant for a change. There are also deck barbecues, weather permitting, which are always a jolly, sociable occasion.

Budgeting is easy

Saga’s all-inclusive pricing makes budgeting for your holiday easy. Everything is included, from a chauffeured car to pick you up from home right through to selected drinks on board, all meals, entertainment, porterage and, from 2026, an excursion in every port, WiFi and crew tips. So once you’re enjoying the scenery along Europe’s rivers, you don’t need to worry about running up a bill and can save your money instead for souvenir shopping.

Shore excursions are included

If you’d prefer to have a companion to join you on shore excursions, the cruise directors will do all they can to introduce you to other single cruisers with shared interests.

Every cruise includes a selection of included excursions. For example, on 'Cologne and the Scenic Rhine Gorge' itinerary, you’ll have the option to join a tour of Würzburg and the lavish Residence palace, built in the 18th century and considered a masterpiece of Baroque architecture. There’s also a tour of Frankfurt and a visit to Bonn, former capital of Germany.

Choose 'Towns and Cities of the Main' and you’ll enjoy, among others, a tour of medieval Bamberg, straight out of a fairytale, its old Town Hall clinging to an island in the middle of the Regnitz river. Pick 'Vienna and the Cities of the Danube' and there are city tours of Vienna and Regensburg, as well as a visit to the glorious Wachau Valley, all sheer-sided hills and leafy vineyards.

Or perhaps you’re tempted by a festive season cruise, in which case Saga’s 'Christmas Markets on the Rhine' itinerary gives you included visits to the enchanting Christmas markets of Mainz, Bonn, Cologne and Rüdesheim.

Saga’s river cruises include some truly memorable experiences, too. Gaze in awe at the brilliant floral displays at Keukenhof in the Netherlands, where seven million bulbs are planted every year to create swathes of dazzling colour. Or opt for one of the special 2026 'Dutch Waterways' cruises that feature a spectacular concert by André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra in Maastricht’s Vrijthof Square.

River cruising is safe and stress-free

You’ll feel cared for all the way on your Saga river cruise. As well as the seamless journey, including a chauffeured car from home and a Saga representative waiting to meet you at your destination airport, there’s a Saga cruise director on every ship to ensure smooth sailing. If you’re not comfortable exploring alone, from 2026 there’s a choice of guided excursions in every port.

What’s more, on a river cruise, much of the best scenery comes to you. Relax in a deck chair on the upper deck as your ship glides through the dramatic Rhine Gorge, a craggy castle guarding every bend of the river. Sail the Danube in autumn and enjoy a front row seat as you sail through the glorious Wachau Valley, the trees ablaze in scarlet, orange and yellow.

Join a longer cruise through the Balkans to Romania and take in the spectacular Iron Gates Gorge, where sheer cliffs plunge into the turbulent water and the Danube forms a border between Serbia and Romania.

Most of the time in port, you’re docked at the heart of your destination, so it’s easy to stroll ashore to explore, say, the wine taverns of Rüdesheim, or the magnificent Melk Abbey, towering over the riverside town on a steep rock outcrop. If you’re moored a little further out of town, a complimentary shuttle bus will take you to the centre.

Evenings are fun and convivial

Evening entertainment on Saga’s river cruises is always enjoyable. Don’t expect lavish theatrical shows; on river cruises, it’s more about reflecting the destination in which the ship is sailing. Local entertainers are often invited on board, so, for example, you could be enjoying the music of a string quartet in Belgrade or watching a lively demonstration of Hungarian folklore dancing in Budapest.

There’s a resident entertainer on board, too, and an Enrichment Host on every cruise who will arrange lectures to help you delve deeper into the culture and history of the towns and cities along the rivers.

Essentially, there’s never a dull moment.

Find out more about solo river cruises with Saga.